Transcript Highlights:

• Line 18 shows the English Learner Cross-Subsidy Aid reduction.
• instance of the excuse me English instance of the excuse me English learner<00:48:07.119> cross
• Learners and a different English learner funding formula in place.
• Learners and a different English learner funding formula in place.
• on issues that involve the composition on issues that involve the composition of<01:39:07.199>

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Education Finance Committee met on January 21, 2025, for its first hearing of the session and began with organizational business. Members and staff introduced themselves, described their districts and backgrounds, and the chair reviewed committee procedures, including how to request bill hearings, amendment deadlines, and handout deadlines. The committee also heard introductions from nonpartisan and partisan staff, including House Research and House Fiscal Analysis personnel who will support the committee’s work this session. The main substantive item was an overview presentation on the state budget and education finance process. Staff explained how Minnesota’s general fund is forecast twice a year, how the committee should read the budget documents and aid/levy tracking sheets, and how the current biennium compares with the upcoming budget window. They described the November forecast, noted that the committee will later receive the February forecast, and outlined the committee’s role in reviewing K-12 state aid spending, school district revenue, and property tax impacts. Staff walked through the aid appropriation summary spreadsheet and explained its columns, including end-of-session spending, fiscal year 2024-25 actuals and estimates, and the 2026-27 and 2028-29 planning horizons. They emphasized that many education programs are forecast-driven and can change with enrollment and other data. The presentation also summarized the state’s overall revenue mix and spending priorities, noting that K-12 education is the largest general fund category and that state aid makes up the majority of school revenue. No bills were heard and no votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• > assessed in English uh assessed in English uh language<00:20:12.080> arts<00:20:12.640> and
• So, if it's English language arts, we'll get 40 teachers with English language arts expertise to go through
• So, if it's English content area.
• and say, yes, you can get an English and say, yes, you can get an English credit<02:46:57.480>
• language arts and define what English language arts and define what English<03:14:16.120> language

Keywords: 916, all

Bills: SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, SB1, HB4

Keywords: school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments, through-year assessment, diagnostic reports, college career military readiness, CCMR, local accountability plans

Summary: The Senate briefly convened and received a message from the House stating that the House was taking a vote. No bills, motions, or substantive policy matters were discussed in the exchange. Pursuant to a previously adopted motion, the Senate then adjourned until 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 21.

Transcript Highlights:

• English. Please close the machine. With 43 I, 22 no, and zero excused.
• Representative English. >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
• Representative English. >> Thank you, Madam Chair.
• So, if you go back to old English law, So, if you go back to old English law, they referred to it as
• Also, Representatives Bacon and English, concerning releasing and English, concerning releasing information

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The composition, and then your penalties are higher or it affects the penalties. don't want to add to
• <00:39:10.160> the<00:39:10.280> composition the composition the composition the composition
• the composition composition<00:39:11.599> and<00:39:12.119> then<00:39:12.280> your
• composition and then your your penalties are<00:39:13.720> higher<00:39:14.040> or<00:
• testimony 16 is for the limited English testimony 16 is for the limited English proficiency<01:19

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard budget testimony first from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Director Tommy Johnson outlined short-term goals to reduce overcrowding, improve living and working conditions, fill vacancies, expand mental health services, and update the correctional master plan. He said the department is still dealing with severe overcrowding at facilities such as OCCC and HCCC, with 947 people at OCCC against a design capacity of 628, and noted 938 inmates are currently housed on the mainland because of temporary repairs at Halawa. He also reported progress on staffing, saying the correctional officer vacancy rate has dropped from 34.3% to 24% through expanded recruitment. The department’s major budget request was $30 million for planning and design for a new Old Triple C project, along with other requests for re-entry services, identification documents, security systems, radios, sink-toilet modules, and trauma-informed care. Members asked about the timing and scope of the OCCC project, courtroom space in new facilities, and the department’s plan to use the funding to improve re-entry and reduce recidivism. The committee then heard from the Department of Law Enforcement on a wide range of priorities. The department described requests to expand agricultural crime enforcement, traffic enforcement, illegal fireworks enforcement, and facilities such as a police building at the DKI airport, a state training center, and new police facilities in central and Leeward Oahu. It also discussed a major IT request for a statewide law enforcement and critical infrastructure notification platform, plus funding for grants management, the Wahiawa Civic Center and court complex, the prescription monitoring program, narcotics enforcement operations, and the narcotics lab. A significant portion of the discussion focused on a proposed traffic enforcement program for commercial vehicle inspections, speeding, and DUI enforcement, which the department said would be funded with federal dollars and would operate concurrently with county police. Committee members questioned whether the effort duplicated county jurisdiction and how the program would be trained and staffed. Members also pressed the department on salary disparities for deputy sheriffs and related vacancies, and the department said the administration was working on a supplemental agreement and placeholder funding to address the issue. Additional discussion covered agricultural crime staffing, the Silver Alert program, and expansion of the forensic lab to handle explosives, firearms, and related evidence. No votes were taken in the portion provided, and the meeting moved from the corrections presentation to the law enforcement budget review with questions and answers throughout.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, I'm wondering if there is another way to spell 'sin' with our English language.
• <01:00:38.280> Senator<01:00:38.600> Kunesh, >> language to English.
• Senator Kunesh, >> language to English.
• way to spell sin um with our English way to spell sin um with our English language. language. language
• Article seven outlines the composition Article seven outlines the composition and<01:22:58.840><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm an English teacher, not a math. Good afternoon, senators.
• I'm an English teacher, not a in math.
• All charter schools must define the board's composition in their bylaws.
• All charter schools must define the board's composition in their bylaws.
• <01:52:15.920> Many composition in their bylaws. Many composition in their bylaws.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Excuse me, English is hard this morning.
• Excuse me, English is hard this Board.
• I mean, I, of course, I was an English teacher. I wanted to teach Shakespeare and composition.
• I I I wanted to was an English teacher.
• I teach uh Shakespeare and composition.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Basically, we take information about people’s last names, census records, and the neighborhood composition
• able to put some of that data, particularly about voter registration and about the demographic composition
• We've heard anecdote about cure letters coming with a mix of perhaps Spanish and English and the nature
• We've heard anecdote about cure letters coming with a mix of perhaps Spanish and English and the nature

Summary: The committee held a work session on voting rights in the United States and Washington, beginning with testimony from Marissa Wright of Campaign Legal Center and David Montes of the ACLU of Washington. They described the federal Voting Rights Act’s main protections—preclearance, vote suppression, and vote dilution—and argued that Supreme Court decisions such as Shelby County v. Holder and Brnovich have weakened those tools. They said Washington should consider stronger state-level protections, including a preclearance program and broader safeguards against discriminatory voting practices. Members asked about Washington’s history of discrimination, voter roll purges, noncitizen registration, and remedies under the Washington Voting Rights Act, including ranked-choice voting and district-based systems. The committee then heard from the Office of Equity and several commissions, which described their roles in advising state government and working with communities. They focused on the immigration sub-cabinet created under Executive Order 2509, saying it is intended to improve coordination across agencies, the legislature, the courts, and community organizations on issues such as data privacy, language access, health care, education, and accountability under the Keep Washington Working Act. Members asked about the use of NGOs, accountability for KWW violations, and the sub-cabinet’s goals, and the panel said the effort is meant to help government respond more quickly and collaboratively while centering immigrant, disability, LGBTQ, and other communities. The final panel was from the University of Washington Elections Database Project, which presented data on vote-by-mail ballot challenges, cures, and rejections from 2020 to 2024. They reported that about 1.5% of ballots are signature-challenged in most elections, roughly 60% of challenged ballots are cured, and overall rejection rates are about 1% in general elections and 1.5% in primaries. The researchers said voters of color, younger voters, and some tribal-area voters experience higher rejection rates, and that differences appear tied to signature mismatch, language access, ballot timing, and familiarity with the system. In the last panel, Maria Fernandez and Vicki Frausto of EIA described voter education and civic engagement work in Yakima County and Sunnyside, including concerns about intimidation, language barriers, signature mismatch, and at-large election systems; they said stronger Washington Voting Rights Act protections would help communities elect candidates of choice. No votes were taken during the work session.

Transcript Highlights:

• governing boards, powers and duties relating to legal counsel, membership, appointments, terms, and composition
• standards of quality school board policies, communication and language accessibility for limited English
• This bill is identical to Delegate Reaser's HB 1278 that supports parents with limited English proficiency

Keywords: March 14, 2026 - Regular Session Part 3, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• the importance of PBS, you know, as a new American growing up in the 80s, I actually learned more English
• ><00:08:20.319> more in the 80s I actually learned more in the 80s I actually learned more English
• 22.720> and<00:08:23.000> probably<00:08:23.280> from<00:08:23.520> my English
• from PBS and probably from my English from PBS and probably from my classes<00:08:24.800> is<
• They include instrument demonstrations and techniques, music elements, composer history, composition,

Bills: HF1679, HF1019, HF2321, HF1740, HF2278

Keywords: public television, funding, grants, arts and culture, Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio, arts education, cultural heritage, community engagement, public radio, community radio, educational grants, community cable, public access, programming funding, civic engagement, ethnic media, public access television, Minnesota Humanities Center, funding appropriation

Transcript Highlights:

• only available to families who know where to look, how to interpret what they find, and can read English
• You know, we recognize that our low-income students, our English learner students, our foster students
• come from a family of siblings who were identified as special education students because they were English
• I began my journey in the district as an academic intervention specialist supporting English learners
• I'm a true believer as an English learner, now a bilingual individual.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a lengthy agenda of education-related bills, with quorum established at the start and several measures taken up on consent or special order. The committee also announced that AB 1644, AB 2362, and later AB 2197 were pulled from the hearing. Members reminded the public of hearing rules and limited testimony to two witnesses each in support and opposition. AB 2651, by Assemblymember Bonta, would require schools to notify parents when school vaccination rates fall below herd-immunity thresholds. Supporters, including physicians, the California State PTA, public health groups, and school employee organizations, argued that families need timely, school-specific information to protect children and vulnerable community members. Opponents raised concerns about privacy, stigma, and whether school-level snapshots could be misleading. The bill passed the committee 5-1 and later 7-1 on the roll call. AB 2509, by Assemblymember Schultz, would allow districts to use a five-year rolling average for ADA funding calculations; supporters said it would stabilize funding amid attendance declines, while one member noted concerns about masking long-term enrollment problems. It passed 5-1 and later 7-2. The committee also approved AB 2430, which would expand after-school access, especially for high school students, improve funding and transparency, and create a work group on program quality. Testimony emphasized the value of expanded learning for youth development and working families, and members discussed the need to address middle school access as well. AB 2526, focused on special education funding, would expand the low-incidence fund to include students qualifying for the California alternate assessment; supporters said it would better align funding with student need, while some concerns remained about over-identification. AB 2325, the Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Act, would create a grant program to build bilingual teacher pipelines through partnerships among schools, community colleges, and universities; it received strong support and passed unanimously. AB 2460, presented by Assemblymember Pellerin for Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, would update school mental-health referral protocols to address trauma related to immigration enforcement; it also passed unanimously. AB 2404, which sought to require Central Valley representation on several governor-appointed bodies, drew debate over geographic representation and board composition and ultimately failed on a 2-5 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• I support students who are gifted English language learners and the exceptional students and students
• screening for educator certification removes the Commissioner of Education is task of renewing the Composition
• If the composition of these boards meet certain standards, we're moving that requirement of the commissioner

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• America but then became a first-grade public school teacher. and help decades of immigrant kids learn English
• My grandmother, her mother. was an English teacher.
• The clerk will read the bills. and resolutions. 75 by Morales of Maverick relating the composition of
• SB 1733 by Colcors relating to the composition of the board of the Calhoun Port Authority for the committee

Bills: HB630, HB420, HB767, HB1708, HB2842, HB1404, HB2457, HB140, HB333, HB227, HB913, HB201, HB2198, HB 109, HB2763, HB519, HB 1261, HB 1135, HB1318, HB2358, HB2415, HB2765, HB2735, HB3307, HB1373, HB694, HB 1242, HB272, HB1437, HB1888, HCR78, HCR12, HCR128, HR7, HR11, HR37, HR69, HR83, HR89, HR100, HR123, HR129, HR137, HR254, HR258, HR289, HR293, HR318, HR324, HR350, HR368, HR370, HR372, HR379, HR406, HR407, HR432, HR445, HR471, HR504, HR506, HR507, HR528, HR567, HR572, HR591, HR592, HR593, HR603, HR614, HR621, HR673, HR684, HR685, HR687, HR700, HR701, HR711, HR712, HR754, HR757, HR758, HR760, HR764, HR765, HR766, HR767, HR768, HR769, HR770, HR771, HR772, HR774, HR776, HR777, HR778, HR779, HR780, HR783, HR784, HR784, HR6, HR6, HR17, HR17, HR18, HR18, HR49, HR49, HR170, HR170, HR236, HR236, HR247, HR275, HR355, HR356, HR364, HR672, HR690, HR690, HR755, HR755, HR756, HR756, HR759, HR759, HR762, HR762, HR763, HR763, HR781, HR781, HR785, HR785, SB2, SB260, SB569, HB2, HB2000, HB213, HB222, HB645, HB1458, HB 1022, HB141, HB643, HB3093, HB1700, HB 117

Keywords: outboard motors, certificate of title, vessel regulation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, marine documentation, HB 420, Texas Water Code, special district, water district, board meetings, meeting location, teleconference, videoconference, remote meeting, public hearing, tax rate hearing, special districts, Cedar Creek Reservoir, county boundary, local government

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 1214 by Representatives English and Jackson and Senator Mobley concerning the continuation
• <00:47:05.360> and Bill 1214 by Representatives English and Bill 1214 by Representatives English
• Secondly, it restructures the composition of the POST training board.
• Secondly, it restructures the composition of the POST training board.
• composition of the post training board. composition of the post training board.

Keywords: 981, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and received several committee reports moving bills forward, including measures from Transportation and Energy and Corporations. The chamber also heard a House message transmitting House Bill 1281. Later, senators used moments of personal privilege to recognize Día del Niño guests and welcome children and community representatives to the chamber; those remarks were ordered spread upon the journal. On the consent calendar and third reading calendar, the Senate passed a number of bills, including Senate Bill 171 on pre-production plastic disposal, Senate Bill 173 on teacher training in certain fitness disciplines, House Bill 1290 on assault sentencing, House Bill 1052 on Victim Rights Act changes, House Bill 1214 on continuation of the controlled substances licensing act, House Bill 1260 on child care assistance, Senate Bill 17 on out-of-network health care dispute resolution, House Bill 1313 on Statewide Affordable Housing Fund requirements, House Bill 1283 on confiscation of identification documents, Senate Bill 174 on lead generation marketing for legal services, House Bill 1193 on vision tests for pre-kindergarten students, Senate Bill 170 creating a task force on public school access, House Bill 1242 on interlock restricted licenses, House Bill 1258, and Senate Bill 165 on species conservation funding. Several of these passed with recorded no votes, especially House Bill 1214 and House Bill 1283. The most substantive debate centered on Senate Bill 138, which was described as reducing administrative burden in the health care system by repealing or modifying certain requirements on health facilities and insurance carriers. The Senate adopted committee report amendments, including provisions on opioid training for veterinarians and dentists, before passing the bill. Another extended discussion involved Senate Bill 172 on the Front Range Passenger Rail District; supporters said it would shrink and better tailor the district to the planned rail corridor, while a senator from Adams County argued the district should not ask communities to pay for rail service they may not use. The Senate also reconsidered and repassed Senate Bill 170 after a procedural mix-up, then proceeded to special orders and adopted the Committee of the Whole report on Senate Bill 165, which was placed on the calendar for third reading and final passage.

Transcript Highlights:

• have a number of different non-disciplinary options through our campus, and they vary in their composition
• and their makeup and their composition and their makeup and the<00:21:08.559> types<00:21:08.840
• My mom was a Salvadoran immigrant who didn't speak English, but yet managed to open a thriving grocery
• provided nearly 50,000 visits to over 11,900 patients, half of whom prefer a language other than English
• with 50% in language other than English with 50% in Medicaid<01:33:50.119> and<01:33:50.480><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, we flew across the English Channel. That's flew across the English Channel.
• Channel, as I said, came over to English Channel, as I said, came over to English Channel, as I said
• further provide for the composition further provide for the composition manner of appointment and length
• of that particular uh the composition of that particular uh the composition of that particular uh board
• of the board of trustees of composition of the board of trustees of composition of the board of trustees

Keywords: 920, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><00:27:25.920> only<00:27:26.240> offered<00:27:26.560> in<00:27:26.640> English
• <00:27:27.320> and the NBLX is only offered in English and the NBLX is only offered in English
• <00:27:31.400> and large communities where English and large communities where English and
• While our schools prioritize English, we also have an opportunity to value bilingualism as an intellectual
• being able to highlight every single element and to scour from the regulatory environment to the composition

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But it's really just kind of for comparison and just for, again, a little bit of the composition and
• requirement: the master's degree or the master's degree in 18 credits in the content area, math, English
• We also require course placement into English and mathematics courses.
• that there did not appear to be a statistically significant difference between students who took English
• when I was in high school, which is many years ago now, but I had the opportunity to do a college English

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• But it's really just kind of for comparison and just for, again, a little bit of the composition and
• requirement: the master's degree or the master's degree in 18 credits in the content area, math, English
• We also require course placement into English and mathematics courses.
• They were very similar in their composition, their tuition, and their reimbursement by the state.
• So I know other committees and other discussions have questioned the sensibility of an English or a Comp

Summary: The Higher Education Institutions Committee met on the Minot State University campus for presentations on campus operations, enrollment, and new academic initiatives. President Shirley reviewed recent audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings, and highlighted MSU’s broad academic offerings, specialized accreditations, athletics, and partnerships with Minot Air Force Base and the MSU Development Foundation. Members asked about declining interest in teacher education, tuition waivers for athletes, dual credit incentives, and how MSU decides when to launch new programs and avoid duplication within the university system. Shirley also discussed several workforce-focused initiatives supported by the Legislature’s Workforce Education Innovation Funds, including the purchase of the Trinity Health Center West building for a downtown health sciences hub, a new daycare/preschool partnership near campus, the Aspire program to recruit rural students into teaching, and a paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Enrollment data showed overall headcount was flat at just under 2,750, but full-time equivalent enrollment rose slightly and new student numbers increased, including the largest freshman class in 15 years. The committee also discussed Minot State’s in-state tuition rate for all students, its dual credit “Emerging Scholars” scholarship, and concerns about the share of high school graduates who do not immediately pursue postsecondary education. Faculty then presented two new programs funded in part by WEAF: an Innovation Engineering degree and a master’s program in counseling with an integrated addiction studies focus. The engineering program was described as industry-driven, designed with broad early coursework, hands-on learning, and local employer input to prepare students for western North Dakota workforce needs; officials said it had already drawn more applicants than expected and would use renovated library space and donated or grant-funded equipment. The counseling program will be mostly face-to-face with hybrid options, aims to address shortages in mental health and substance use providers, and is structured to help students meet licensure requirements. Committee members asked about startup costs, licensure supervision hours, and whether the programs would be on campus rather than online, and presenters said both programs had recently received required approvals and were moving forward.